


Just Hold On

by Mommydux



Category: Shall We date?: Ninja Love+
Genre: Angst and Romance, F/M, Post-Series, Post-War, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-01-27 16:09:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12585632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mommydux/pseuds/Mommydux
Summary: Loosely based on the SWD series. My version however puts Masumi as a hired school teacher who will return to her region once her teachings are complete. In the early stages of her teachings, the war breaks out and Masumi is deemed the Ninja Princess due to her purity and some nonsense about prophecies and such. This story takes place after her and Goemon return to Hanzo's so Goemon can recuperate from his injuries sustained during the final battle. Goemon has to convince the princess he truly does love her before she completes her mission and returns home. Though still shy and a bit reserved, I hated how pathetic the MC always seemed so I gave her a bit of moxy.





	Just Hold On

**Author's Note:**

> This is just scratch for my NaNoWriMo and probably completely ooc. Like I've stated, its LOOSELY based on the Shall We Date series but to be honest, I haven't read them in so long its going to be way off course, guaranteed. This is just a practice piece and a personal challenge for myself since I do not regularly write, I only do this once a year for NaNo. But I do welcome any and all comments, please point out any flaws or ideas you may have as I do appreciate all thoughts on my piece.

Masumi sits out back in the garden, on the bench, watching the sun set behind the mountaintop. She pulls her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and rests her chin atop her knees. She's deep in thought as Goemon sneaks up behind her.  
"What are you doing out here?" he asks as he chuckles at her reaction of being ripped out of her daydream.  
"I'm watching the sun set. Its been so long. Want to watch with me?" she says as she pats the spot beside her.  
"Sure, why not." he replies as he takes a seat, stretching his arm across the back of the bench.  
Masumi stiffens minutely but it still catches Goemon's attention. He doesn't mention anything of it though. He's used to certain reactions like that from women.  
Masumi is hyper aware of how close he is sitting to her and that his arm is nearly around her if he moves just slightly. Its something she wants but has not the courage to speak the words. She has fallen for Goemon throughout their time together but she knows to be cautious. Everyone is aware of Goemon's reputation, just as everyone is aware that the sky is blue. His ability to bed women is apparently rival to his abilities as a ninja, he is extremely skilled in both areas. He likes to remind her of that info on a regular basis. She tries in vain to forget her feelings for him, to lock them away and forget all about them. However, that is something she has failed miserably at. It is her belief that Goemon will never settle down and will never be able to love just one woman. Its just not in his nature. So she bides her time until she can return home and forget all about the thief who has stolen her heart. She's never felt these feelings before for any other and its more terrifying than she imagined, completely unnerving to be honest. His constant teasing is enough to drive her crazy because she desperately wants it to be real, for him to actually want those things with her. To be wanted is an extremely powerful feeling but she needs it all. If she can't have his heart then he cannot have her body, its a fair enough trade, she believes.  
"It's breathtaking, isn't it?" she asks in just above a whisper.  
"Stunning" he replies. But as she turns to smile at him she realizes he is not looking at the sunset at all but at her.  
"Goemon! You're not even watching it!" she scolds but he just smiles in return.  
"What I'm looking at is more beautiful than any sunset could ever aspire to be."  
Masumi can feel the heat rise to her face. Sure, he may be a bit over the top but again that feeling of being wanted is very powerful indeed. Of course she can't let her feelings be known, the teasing would never cease if he knew how hard she's fallen for him. She huffs it off and returns her eyes to the sunset. He really is a silver tongued bastard and she has to constantly remind herself of that. He's probably used that line on hundreds of women before her. She's lost in her own head again when he pulls her closer to him. Her body goes willingly and she rest her head on his chest. She's used to him being touchy-feely and the cuddling has always been a nice bonus, even if it means nothing to him. She doesn't give it a second thought, her brain still fogged with fantasies of a true romance between them.  
"What are you thinking about right now?" he asks smiling down at her.  
"How I wish this were real" she mumbles out.  
It takes her brain a second to catch up with her mouth and realize what she had just blurted out. Her head snaps up and she looks at him wide eyed. Goemon's eyes seem just as wide as hers, both in shock at her words. She looks away before he can see her overly pink face. He regains his composer fairly quick and replies simply "It can be."

Masumi is quiet for a moment, embarrassed by her words. She hates knowing he can spit those words so easily because it means nothing to him, his heart is not on the line.  
"No, it can't be." She knows this, he has to know this. His words are like torture some times. As she tries to get up he grabs onto her tightly.  
"Why not?" is all he says.  
"What?"  
"Why not? Why can't it be real for us?" He asks sincerely.  
She knows the answer but she can't say it aloud. She can't tell him she's in love with him because she knows he'll only take advantage of it. There have probably been hundreds of women who have fallen for his charms and he's up and left them to nurse their broken hearts. Knowing she could suffer the same fate is frightening. Its a painful truth that he will only leave her with a broken heart. A pain she fears more than any other.  
Goemon has some problems of his own however. He has recently realized he has fallen in love with Masumi but it took him a long to see this. He supposes he loved her right from the start somehow but he had been denying these feelings for some time now. He told himself that it was only his duty to protect her, to care about her safety. That, of course he was attracted to her, she is a woman after all. The more time they had spent together, the more he cared for her and now he's reached the point where he doesn't think he can live without her. She's a part of him now. Why can't she just accept that, why won't she see that?  
"Is that what you want?" he asks her. Before she can come up with an answer to his question, Goemon grabs her by the chin and forces her eyes to meet his.  
"Answer me." he says more forcefully. He wants to prove his feelings for her are true, wants her to know how deeply in love he is with her. He wants to hear those words from her mouth, that his feelings are reciprocated.  
"Y-yes." she stutters out as tears spring to her eyes. She's not exactly sure why she is crying. Because she knows she can't have this? Because she's embarrassed? Maybe because she's angry he's doing this to her. Teasing her again, as always.

He's not sure why he does it exactly but he leans in without any further thought and kisses her as passionately as he can, pouring all his emotions into this one kiss. She must interpret it all wrong because the next thing he knows, she's pulling back and slaps him across the face before fleeing into the mansion again.

He is stunned for a second but gives chase, knowing he has to explain himself to her. That definitely did not go as he had planned. He should have known she would freak out, she always does, always has been skittish with him.

He catches up with her as she is about the close the door to the library. Its not the first time she's ran into this room for safety. She often sits in here when she is feeling down. Something he noticed almost immediately after their return. He supposes his training has made him so perceptible to her moods and little quirks, though hers seem to affect him in many different ways as other's don't. He manages to stop her before she gets the lock on, forcing his way in.

She stands frozen, not expecting him to follow after her. Tears stream down her face.  
"Let me explain." he pleads.  
"You...you don't have to." she stammers out. She already knows why he does this, she doesn't want to hear it from him. She's embarrassed that she can't hold back her emotions, she's hurt that he is constantly playing with those emotions.  
He starts towards her but she backs up away from him. He continues to inch closer with each step she takes back. Eventually he crowds her into the bookshelf and she has nowhere to go.  
"Masumi..." he says softly. He reaches out to cup her face but she finches away. Anger wells up within her.

"Stop! Why do you always do this to me?! Just stop! Stop teasing me!" she yells. She can't hold back the tears, she can't control her emotions. She wants to be far away from him but at the same moment she just wants to be held by him, comforted. He doesn't say anything at first, a bit confused by her outburst. He quickly realizes that this is all because she still doesn't trust him, even after all they've been through together. He has to tell her, has to make her see. He gathers up his courage and utters the words he swore he'd never say.  
"I love you" he says in almost a whisper.  
Her eyes dart up to meet his. He can see the confusion written all over her face. He can see her processing his words, trying to figure it out. Finally, she'll finally understand how he feels. He's expecting her to throw herself into his arms, or even to burst out laughing. That's not what happens at all though. Instead she starts swinging her hands wildly at him.  
"You jerk! You truly are cruel and heartless!"  
He's completely shocked by her outburst. That was totally unexpected and he doesn't have a clue in the world as to what he did wrong. He puts his hands up to block her fists and she surges towards him.  
"Do you really think I'm that naive?! I'm just some stupid little girl who will buy all your bullshit?! I'm just supposed to throw myself at you now right?! You say whatever you think I want to hear just so you can have some fun?!" she screams at him.  
"What?" Goemon asks, clearly very confused.

Suddenly she stops. She looks at him for a long moment. He can see the pain in her eyes, he can feel her pain, he hates this feeling that has taken up residence in his stomach.

"I cared for you." she says quietly. "Maybe I was naive, I fell in love with you and I kept entertaining these ridiculous thoughts that someday you'd love me in return. But you know what? I'm not that stupid little girl anymore. I won't fall for your bullshit lies, I won't share you with some other woman whenever you fancy, I won't be the girl that gets all those looks of sympathy from the villagers because they know you're laying in bed with some other woman at that very moment... I won't be the one Goemon."

She says those last words so softly that he barely hears them, but he does and it stings. It hurts him deeply, knowing that he screwed up so badly that he may never have her now. 

She storms past him and out of the mansion. He is left standing there in shock. He knows this is all his own fault, he brought this all on himself. He realizes his words won't mean a thing to her now, he has to prove to her how he feels. He's not going to let her slip away, not after she made him come alive. He has never felt this way about anyone, not even close, for the first time in his life he is in love. It excites and terrifies him all at once. He has to make her see how serious he is about her, how he knows he won't be able to live without her. He is aware he only has a short time to prove it to her and so far he has obviously done a terrible job. Once she finishes her teachings, she will walk out of his life possibly forever and there is no way he is going to let that ever happen. He really has no idea how he is going to prove to her how much he loves her but he is damn well going to try everything and anything to have her. First he has to find her though, she just took off into the night on her own!

15 minutes into his search he runs into Hanzo and Kuma, out for a stroll through the village.

"Goemon, what's the matter? You look very uneased." Hanzo says.  
"I can't find Masumi, she took off" Goemon explains.  
"You lost the princess?! What do you mean she took off?" Hanzo all but screeches.  
"She just...we got into an argument and she ran off into the village somewhere." he tells Hanzo.  
"What did you fight about?" asks Kuma.  
Goemon huffs "does it really matter?!" He figures Kuma is being her usual nosy self, always prying. He really doesn't want to have to explain how he just broke Masumi's heart.  
"Well it may give us some clues as to where she may have gone if we know why she is so upset" Hanzo explains. Goemon hesitates before letting out a sigh of resignation.  
"I told her I loved her. She freaked out and now she's gone." he says irritably. Hanzo and Kuma's eyes widen in surprise.  
"You told her you love her?" Hanzo asks, a bit shocked at Goemon's confession.  
"Oh for crying out loud! Yes Hanzo! Now will stop repeating everything I say and just help me find her?! She's out here alone!" Goemon nearly yells in a panic. He gets that this is something they may not have been aware of but they are just wasting time here and he needs to find her before anything could happen to her.


End file.
